


The Duty of an Older Brother

by makesureyouwashyourhands



Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Alive Sabo (One Piece), Alive Thatch (One Piece), Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blackmail, Blood and Injury, Brotherly Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Complete, Corruption, Death Threats, Emotional Manipulation, Explicit Language, Families of Choice, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, It's not much Sabo is just a year younger than Ace now, Luffy Being Luffy, Manipulation, POV Alternating, Portgas D. Ace Has Self-Worth Issues, Protective Portgas D. Ace, Sabo Remembers, Sabo Whump, Teach is a bastard, mentioned slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27664115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makesureyouwashyourhands/pseuds/makesureyouwashyourhands
Summary: Thatch finds the Yami Yami no Mi much earlier, and as such is murdered earlier as well. Murdered before Ace has even joined the crew, in fact. Only this time, it isn't murder, but kidnapping, and the unfortunate chef is far from Teach's only target. He could make good money by selling that beat Ace to the Marines, and luckily the boy has two little brothers that make the perfect leverage...
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace & Whitebeard Pirates
Comments: 24
Kudos: 183





	1. The Sting of Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Betrayal, blood, guilt, cussing

Thatch was gone. Literally _gone_. Taken. Taken by that _bastard_ Teach and Marco was so pissed. Everyone gathered around the scene as Haruta read the note left behind aloud.

" _Dear Whitebeards,_  
_It's been quite a journey! But as you know, all good things must come to an end. Sometimes, a terrible end. I've gotten what I needed from you. It took many, many long years but I have the power I need to start my own crew and become Pirate King. But leaving with teary goodbyes is boring, so I decided to procure a little parting gift. Thatch will sell wonderfully, unless you want him back? Fat chance!_  
_Love,_  
_Marshall D. Teach_ "

The reading made the crew shake with rage. How dare Teach? How dare he kidnap one of their own? How dare he betray them? The thought was so terrible. One of the original members of their crew, one of their brothers, had betrayed them. Not only that, but was planning on selling another one of their brothers either to the Marines or into slavery. It wasn't clear. They had no time to loose. They needed to find him...

"What the hell is all the yelling about?" Which meant they had no time to deal with their youngest brother's _bullshit_ right now. Regardless, Ace moved forward, pushing through the crowd of shell-shocked Whitebeards. "Why's everyone all glum? The old bastard finally croak or--" Ace stopped talking when he saw the scene of the crime."That's... a lot of blood," their youngest said, face pale. "Whose..."

"Thatch," Marco cut him off. "Teach betrayed us and kidnapped him. Plans on selling him to the highest bidder."

"...Oh," Ace said dumbly. "That's, um, not good. This seems like a family matter so I'm just gonna--" he ran off before finishing his sentence. Marco sighed, they would have to leave Ace to his own devices for now. They needed a plan to save Thatch.

* * *

  
Ace ran down to the lowest levels of the ship. It was a lot of blood and the news that the Whitebeard Pirates had been betrayed was... shocking, to say the least. They always seemed so close when Ace had taken the time to observe them (though Ace was skeptical about the whole "family" thing, how did they keep track of everyone?), and Thatch was by far the most likable guy on the damn ship. Not that Ace liked _any_ of them of course, but Thatch made food and that put him up higher than the rest of his kidnappers. It had to hurt them, knowing he wasn't safe. Ace involuntarily thought of the countless times Luffy had thrown himself into danger, or that terrible day when Sabo nearly died because of that dammed Celestial Dragon. He remembered hating himself for not _being there_ for not being good enough to _save them_...

He decided to halt his assassination attempts for now. It was no good killing the old man while he was down, anyway. He wanted it to be a real victory. Ace may have hated the man, but he wouldn't stoop that low.

* * *

Thatch groaned as he was pulled away from sleep. Why did his chest hurt so much? And where was Teach....

_Teach--_

Thatch shot up, aggravating his now heartily remembered stab wound. It had been somewhat stitched up, but that didn't make it any less painful to deal with. He was chained to the wall. It was dark, the only light coming from the bars of his cell. _I'm in a Marine cell..._ was his next thought, but why?

"Awake, are we?" Thatch glared at the man standing before him.

"Teach, you traitor bastard! Why am I here? You're working with the _Marines_?" 

"Only temporarily, I can promise you of that," Teach chuckled. 

"So you're planning on betraying them too?"

"Is it a betrayal if you were never actually friends in the first place?" The words made Thatch's heart hurt.

"So we never meant anything to you? All those years... they were all an act?"

"I enjoyed the good times," Teach shrugged. "I didn't have to fake every waking moment, but I never actually cared for any of you, no."

Thatch decided to switch subjects, this was too painful. "Why am I here? What do you want with me?"

"Well, I wanted the devil fruit you had, for one, but also... you're close with Portgas, right? Er, as close as you can get to a brat like that?"

Thatch tensed. "Ace? What could you possibly want with him?" Their youngest, most stubborn brother, while an absolute brat, was a good person if you took the time to peel back all the bullshit and _talk_ with him. He was just a kid, after all, and they _had_ technically kidnapped him. He had a right to be upset. A good meal put him in a better mood though. Thatch wasn't shy in admitting he was a little protective of the kid.

"Oh, nothing important, just some business is all," Teach sneered."You'll be gaining a few cellmates soon. I'll have a doctor come in and check that wound of yours in the meantime."

Thatch watched him go, ultimately helpless to do anything. _Ace, you dumb little bastard, please don't fall for his tricks!_

* * *

  
Marco sighed as he looked over their potential leads. Teach was good at covering his tracks; they had no way of knowing where he was. All the leads were superficial at best, and they were too far apart to pursue them all... if any of them were even right in the first place. The unusual quiet outside was not helping his nerves. Even Ace's attempts on Oyaji's life had stopped. It was surprising and suspicious when, at the end of the day, Ace had yet to make an appearance. The only trace of his whereabouts was the raided pantry (Thatch wasn't around to track him down and feed him anymore). The kid was scary good at hiding, so no one could really locate him. Marco knew he should be grateful -they had enough to worry about without Oyaji's life being in danger as well- but the silence was destroying him inside. Funny, he was actually wishing for someone to try and _murder his father_. Teach had fucked him up more than he thought.

"Marco?" 

He looked up and sighed. He hadn't even noticed Izo's presence. "Yes?"

"We got a message from Teach."

"Really? What does it say?" Marco said, sitting up immediately.

"We don't know."

"Why not?"

"Ace fucking stole it. He's holed himself up in the lookout."

He really ought to be more careful what he wished for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in advance so next chapter should drop Saturday if I remember to post it


	2. Meet the Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blackmail, lying, slavery mention, threats of harm against a minor

When the messenger bird first arrived, Ace had snatched it out of the air. Because it couldn't be. It couldn't be possible! 

But it was possible. The bird carried the same straw hat and stupid steel pipe he had grown up watching his brothers wear and fight with. The frayed rim of the hat easily traceable, the "S" painted onto the side of the pipe unmistakable. There was also a den den mushi. All coupled with a cheeky fucking note.

 _Hello, Ace!_  
_Is it just Ace? Portgas D. Ace? No, it's Gol D. Ace isn't it? I'm not surprised, you're the spitting image of Roger. Don't know how Newgate hasn't figured it out yet! Anyway, it recently came to my attention that you have two absolutely_ adorable _little brothers! Why didn't you tell anyone? Naturally I had to meet them! You're the oldest right? They look awfully young. That means you're responsible if they get hurt, right? Well, despite how cute they are, your lack of cooperation could make me mad enough to do something... unsavory to them._  
_You should have a den den mushi. Use it to keep me updated on the_ Moby Dick's _whereabouts. I want plans, conversations, supply details, and locations. Do a good enough job, and I might let you talk to your baby brothers! Call me every day as soon as you're alone, assuming you can. I know how clingy those bastards on the ship can be._

_\--Marshall D. Teach, I go by Blackbeard now by the way!_

_PS: I have another note in here for you to give to Whitebeard. Don't blow your cover now :)_

There _was_ another note, Ace realised, behind that one. He didn't bother reading it. Instead, he shoved the first note into his pocket with the den den mushi and folded up the second one. Just in time for Marco the Phoenix to fly up and sit down next to him. "Mind telling me why you stole our info if you aren't our brother? Don't tell me you're worried Ace," Marco teased, but there was an annoyed edge to his voice. 

"Just shut up and read this. It's what you're here for isn't it?" Ace huffed, shoving the second note into Marco's hands. 

"It is indeed, though we can discuss why you stole it later-yoi," Marco said.

"Thought it was from someone else," Ace muttered. It wasn't technically a lie, so it came out somewhat believable.

"That why you've got that hat and pipe? Did they come with it- yoi?"

"Yeah." Why was Ace still talking to this bastard?

"They seem pretty important," Marco noted.

"They're just dumb is all," Ace replied carefully. _If you want to lie better, avoid downright untruths and stick to the arbitrary. Leave out information._ That was what Sabo said. Ace was glad he listened to him now. "They're the kind of souvenirs a friend of mine would send me." 

That "friend" was his youngest brother, Monkey D. Luffy, who gave weird shit to people all the time, but that was none of Marco's business. The fact that Luffy would never give up his hat or steal Sabo's pipe was another thing that _wasn't Marco's business_. 

"I see-yoi," Marco said thoughtfully. "So you didn't recognize the messenger bird at all?"

"No," Ace said easily, because it was the truth. He could not tell those birds apart for the life of him. 

Marco nodded and flew back down to the rest of the Whitebeards. Ace could vaguely hear him explain the situation to the others. The letter was handed off to Whitebeard, who read it aloud.

" _Whitebeards,_  
_I've decided to give you a chance to get your dear brother back. Thatch is being sold at the Sabaody auction house this coming month. He's the grand finale sale. Become the highest bidder and you'll win the prize! Or burn the place down. Your choice! I already got /my/ money. I don't particularly care how you free him or if you even bother to, though knowing you bleeding hearts you will. Consider this an act of good faith as I go on to build my legacy._  
_\---Marshal D. Teach (now known as Blackbeard)_ "

"Blackbeard?" someone whispered. Ace scoffed. Yeah, that was a definite ripoff. 

"He sold him to the auction house..." Izo muttered. Ace grimaced at the reminder. The Sabaody auction house was infamous. More slaves were bought and sold in a day there than in every other auction house in the _World_. It was a place frequented by Celestial Dragons. Slaves sold at the Sabaody auction house were never seen again.

"This is a trap," Namur said. "That place is crawling with Marines. It's where Maryjoise is. This is clearly a setup to get us arrested. Thatch might not even be there."

"We know that-yoi!" Marco snapped. "We can't risk Thatch's safety though. If he is there, we need to get him as soon as possible. We have the strongest man in the world on our side! We'll be fine! Won't we, Oyaji?"

Whitebeard nodded. "We will go. If Teach lies, then he lies. Regardless, we will save my son, no matter what!"

 _Yeah,_ Ace thought, _and no matter what I'll save my brothers. My_ real _brothers..._

* * *

  
Thatch heard yelling from down the hall. He needed not inquire what it was, because the cell door slammed open and two kids were dragged inside. One was dark-haired with brown skin and a small scar under his eye. The other was blond, taller, wearing a torn suit and bearing terrible burns across an entire side of his body. Teach appeared in the doorway, laughing as the two were chained up by the marines. The smaller one was shouting. "LET US GO, YOU BASTARD! AND GIVE ME BACK MY HAT!"

"Luffy, _shut it_ ," the other one hissed.

"But he took my hat! And he locked us up!" The smaller one whined. Thatch took note of the seastone cuffs on the boy's wrists. 

"He took my pipe as well! You don't see me being a fool about it!" the blond one growled. The smaller one -Luffy, it seemed- ignored him. 

"Give it back!" he demanded. Teach laughed. 

"A feisty one, aren't ya? Don't worry, I sent your hat to someone who would keep if _very_ safe," he mocked. 

"You did? Thank you!" Luffy beamed, the other just gave an exasperated sigh. Thatch was taken aback by the abrupt change. This kid was weird! And kinda dumb! He reminded Thatch of someone...

"What do you want with us?" the older one asked. Teach smiled.

"You'll find out. Keep Thatch company while I'm gone please, boys."

"Okay! Thank you for taking care of my hat!" Luffy called.

"Luffy, he kidnapped us."

"Oh yeah... FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE! How was that, Sabo?"

"It was good, Luffy."

Thatch cleared his throat. "Are you kids okay?"

The older one -Sabo- answered, "We're alright, thank you for asking. Do you have any idea what he might want with us?"

"It has something to do with Ace..."

Luffy perked up. "Ace? Ace is here? HEY ACE! COME SAY HI!" 

"No, Luffy, Ace isn't here," Sabo sighed. "How do you know Ace?"

"He's my little brother," Thatch said fondly.

"Nuh-uh!" Luffy pouted. "Ace is our brother! He's our big brother! Sabo, tell him Ace is our big brother!"

"Ace has brothers already?" Thatch gasped.

"Yeah! And if you were his brother you'd know that," Luffy huffed. Thatch was reeling. These kids didn't look like Ace at all. Well, Luffy kind of did (same hair), but Sabo? The two were night and day. Did that mean Ace had adopted brothers? Thatch had always assumed that Ace refused to accept them as his family due to a lack biological relations, but that clearly wasn't it. 

"Ah, my bad!" Thatch laughed, attempting to clear the air. Sabo didn't look satisfied, but quickly schooled his expression. "I've already heard your names, but could you formally introduce me? And tell me how old you are?"

"I'm Luffy!" said Luffy. "I'm fourteen! Sabo is sixteen." God, they were so young!

Sabo nodded and extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Mister...?" 

"Thatch, Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates," he introduced. Sabo's eyes widened. Luffy's sparkled.

"You're a _pirate_? What's it like? I'm gonna be a pirate one day! I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" 

Thatch laughed at the boy's enthusiasm. "You'll have to fight Oyaji first."

"Who's 'Oyaji'? Is he strong?"

"He's very strong! He's the strongest man on the sea!" 

Luffy nodded. "Oooohhhhhh.... I can't wait to fight him! Sabo, can I fight Oyaji?" 

"His name isn't Oyaji, Luffy, that's just what they call him. And absolutely not."

"But I wanna fight him! He's strong!" 

"Maybe when you're older," Sabo sighed.

"But you set sail when you were fifteen, even though you were supposed to wait until you were seventeen," Luffy pouted. "Why can't I fight the strong guy?"

"Because those are two completely different scenarios!"

_Why was their "coming of age" age seventeen? Was that why Ace was on the sea so young?_


	3. Teach is Terrible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: spying, blackmail, betrayal, slavery mention, fear

"How should we approach the auction house?" was the big question at the Commander's Meeting. Everyone had their own idea, of course.

Some preferred a stealth approach. They said the best method was to disguise themselves as buyers and guards. That way, they could get in, get Thatch, and get out. It would also ensure an easier escape. The issue was freeing the other slaves would be tricky. It could take hours and the buyers were bound to get suspicious at the sudden lack of merchandise on stage. They would be saving all the slaves present, that was one fact everyone agreed upon.

Others favored a more violent approach. These guys were slavers who took their brother, so it wasn't like they didn't _deserve_ to die! The Whitebeards had killed before. This group wanted to break down the door and start a riot. The issue was they didn't know if they wanted to risk losing more brothers over this. A battle of that scale would be bloody, and not just for the Marines.

Some approved of a buying method. Simple. Clean. All they had to do was break into their funds and buy their brother back. Buy the other slaves' freedom too! The issue was that the Celestial Dragons would often list an insane price that no non-Dragon could match as a _starting bid_. Their chances of freeing the ones who caught the Dragons' eyes were slim to none using this method. 

"We need to pick one _before_ we reach Sabaody-yoi!" Marco groaned. "It's only a few days away!" 

"The stealth option is the best bet!" 

"No, we should free everyone possible! We should storm Mariejois!"

"We're pirates! You're telling me we somehow can't make up the money we'd need to spend?"

"Do you not know how much a Celestial Dragon makes, idiot? Besides, I'm not filling the pockets of the slave industry! I refuse to do that!"

"What if we started a riot?" Haruta was met with the stares of the entire meeting, including Oyaji himself.

"Explain."

"We mix the methods: we go in secretive, come out with a bang. Our stealth people free the slaves behind the Marines' backs and then we all charge. The riot creates confusion for everyone to escape. At the end we funnel who all didn't get away onto the Moby and book it," Haruta explained. The Commanders looked at each other. It could work. Oyaji nodded in agreement.

"That's our plan."

Outside, unnoticed despite the use of Observational Haki, Ace listened carefully.

* * *

Ace crouched down between the crates. This was one of his favorite hiding spots; even on the busiest of days the crew rarely came into this storage room. It was forgotten, tucked away. Exactly what he needed to be in order to make this call... and he was really doing this, wasn't he? He was spying on a goddamn _Yonko_. No matter how "forgiving" the Whitebeard Pirates were, he knew he wouldn't be allowed to live if they found out about _this_. If they knew he was actively working with the man who kidnapped their crewmate... he didn't want to think about it. In fact, he wouldn't think about it! He refused to. He wouldn't be caught; he had two little brothers to save. 

Sighing, he switched the den den mushi to the given channel. "Paging Blackbeard," he murmured, figuring that the bastard would like it if he used his made-up name. "This is Portgas D. Ace, paging Blackbeard."

The man's voice was sickeningly jovial as he laughed on the other end of the call. "Gol D. Ace! I see you got my note?"

"Yes," Ace confirmed through clenched teeth. He hated the deliberate use of his father's name, but he wanted to be on his best behavior. Teach was a sick bastard and Ace wasn't deluding himself by thinking he wouldn't harm one of his brothers as a punishment for a conceived disrespect. He couldn't risk that.

"I assume you agree?" Teach continued conversationally. 

"Yes."

" _Good_. You're such a wonderful big brother! So tell me Ace," -he could practically hear the man smirking- "what do you know?"

* * *

Luffy was sitting upside down, Sabo was humming, and Thatch had no idea how to escape his own boredom. They had fallen out of conversation long ago. Sabo too distrustful and Luffy had too short of an attention span to keep any genuine conversation moving. Thatch could tell that half of the words Sabo said were lies; very well delivered ones. Without his Observational Haki he'd have had no idea. 

"We were all adopted by the same couple."

_Lie._

"We live in a small town in the valley."

_Lie._

"The adults there love us! They used to give us treats all the time when we were kids! We're their little rascals!"

 _A lie, but with a half-truth tacked onto the end_.

Thatch couldn't keep a straight face for much longer in such a one-sided discussion. He was sharing accurate information about _his_ background! (Although to be fair there was probably no way for this kid to tell whether or not he was telling the truth.) 

There was more stomping from outside the cell. Teach came back into view and Thatch's blood boiled. He looked too damn smug. "Good news boys!" he chirped. "Your big brother's coming to save you! Poor thing, he's trying so hard."

"What do you mean?"

"Portgas loves these two runts," Teach said, gesturing to Sabo and Luffy, "So much, in fact, that he's willing to spy on a Yonko for me! He got damn good information too. It's a wonder they didn't catch him."

Thatch gritted his teeth. Great, now Teach was blackmailing a seventeen-year-old boy. Of course. 

"'Spy on a Yonko'? You're having him spy on _Whitebeard_?" Sabo asked. Even without the use of Observational Haki it was obvious the poor kid was scared for his brother. His carefully-controlled demeanor crashed and burned the minute the word _Yonko_ was mentioned.

"Ace is a spy? That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed. Thatch wasn't sure if he was ignoring the gravity of the situation or simply unaware of it. For some reason he was feeling both. 

"Yes, it'll be a terrible shame if he's ever caught," Teach went on. "Acting as an agent for the enemy gets you keelhauled on most pirate crews. That means killed, by the way."

Luffy narrowed his eyes. "Ace promised not to die though."

"That's not something anyone can control, stupid!" Teach snapped, banging his fist against the bars. Despite the situation, Thatch is glad something was able to rile the man from that smug attitude. 

"The Whitebeard Pirates aren't like most crews," Thatch countered. "We're family. We like to know the whole situation before we punish someone, and even then I'm not sure my family would kill a young boy. Once they know the context they're sure to help him. It wouldn't be the first time we've aided a would-be spy." 

"Maybe so..." Teach mused, "but that doesn't mean it isn't his fault that the Marines are moving to counter their plan. Someone's bound to get angry enough to punish him."

Thatch sighed, because he knew Teach was right. He could think of a few brothers and sisters that fit Teach's description already. Hopefully Oyaji would pick up on it. There was no way that kid _wasn't_ getting caught. It wasn't like he'd suddenly unlock the ability to mask his presence with Observational Haki!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter drops next Saturday


	4. Things Go Poorly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: fighting, police brutality, even more betrayal, low self-worth, blame of self, chaos, prison break

Ace was getting really sick of talking to Blackbeard.

For the past few days he'd been giving the man thorough reports of everything that happened on the Moby Dick. He recited supply stores, treasury numbers, arguments among top-ranking members, wind conditions, and various sub-plans for the overall plan of getting Thatch back. He was pretty damn sure that was adequate. He was pretty damn sure that was more than enough for Blackbeard to _shut up_ about how he held his brothers' life in his hands. _And yet he didn't!_ He wouldn't stop imbibing Ace with anxiety over Sabo and Luffy's safety. He knew just how to word his threats too. Vague overtones cut by sudden, vivid descriptions of the torture he could easily subject them to. 

"I can make them feel pain... or not! I could always leave them in the dark instead! All alone, with no way to feel anything or hear anyone. How long do you think it takes to drive someone insane that way, Ace?"

 _Shut up,_ Ace wanted to say, but he couldn't. Instead, he opted for "...Three days?"

"I actually don't know either! Keep the info coming and I won't be tempted to find out. You're doing so well!" He hung up. Ace sighed and hit his head on the ship wall. He carefully slipped the den den mushi back in his pocket. They'd reach Sabaody in two hours. He was to meet Blackbeard at a pub there.

All he could do was hope it went well.

* * *

Marco hadn't seen Ace since Teach's letter came in.

It made him sad. Ace was trying to give them space. He didn't consider himself a part of their family, he likely felt he was intruding. He wasn't. Ace was their little brother, even if he didn't accept it. He had every right to be upset that Thatch was gone. It made him scared too, because he wasn't the only one who hadn't seen Ace.

No one had seen him in days. 

He rarely came up on their observational haki (likely using a subconscious form of it to conceal his presence). The kitchen would be found raided sometimes but no one saw him come in or out. The kid was a ghost. Likely a starving one. The food taken from the kitchen wasn't enough to sustain someone his size. 

Marco hoped he'd be back to his old self after they rescued Thatch.

* * *

They arrived in Sabaody and Ace already felt weight lifting off his shoulders. He slipped out easily enough, everyone else was busy running off to their stations or preparing for their plan. He made sure no one followed him. Couldn't have Blackbeard thinking he was trying to pull one over on him, now could he? He stalked his way through the port until he reached the pub Blackbeard directed him to. The man hadn't arrived yet. Ace could hear the talk of the auction piping up the bar. It didn't start until three. 

He'd just have to wait here, then. Might as well get some food.

* * *

There was yelling outside. Yelling and gunshots. He recognized Oyaji's earthquakes anywhere. His family had come to save him. He smiled, leaning back. They'd be out of here in no time! He looked over at the two kids. Luffy was looking around curiously, giggling whenever the shake of earthquakes came along. Sabo was eyeing the doorway warily. Suddenly, he got up. "They're going to move the ship."

"What?" How did he know that?

"They're going to set sail during the fighting. I can... I can feel it. I don't know how else to explain it!" Sabo said desperately. "We need to escape or we'll be trapped here."

 _Observational Haki._ Thatch hummed. There wasn't a whole lot to work with in terms of escape, but he wasn't the master prankster of his crew for nothing. He could pick a lock. There weren't any soldiers around to stop him right now. All of them were preoccupied with either setting sail or the Yonko at their doorstep. Thatch smirked and grabbed a piece of chicken bone from their last meal. He fiddled with the cuffs for a bit, careful not to be too harsh (bird bones were fragile), and soon the cuffs clicked open. He did the same for Sabo and Luffy.

"You could do that the whole time?" Sabo asked.

"Teach was around too much for me to try before."

"WHATEVER! LET'S GO!" Luffy huffed, kicking open the cell door with way too much ease. 

Thatch didn't have any choice but to follow him. They made their way up the deck, doing pretty well for a while until they were spotted by, what, fifty marines?

Naturally, they booked it. Thatch laughed as their enraged shouts got farther away. When he looked behind him he couldn't even see them. It was great until they ran into a forked road. "We should split up," Sabo said instantly. 

"What? Why?"

"Less marines on our trail. They'll have to cut their little crowd in half in order to cover all their options."

"Hey Sabo, can I go with Loaf-Head? He knows Ace!"

Sabo tensed. "I really can't stop you..." he muttered. "Fine, but throw him to the wolves if he tries anything." 

_I'm right here_... 

"Okay!" Thatch scooped up the kid and ran down one hallway. Eyeing the teen carefully as he ran down the other one. He had a feeling things didn't go as planned there. 

* * *

Sabo ducked under desks and darted corners. All he needed was a porthole and he could get out of here easily. He could swim, unlike his devil-fruit wielding brothers, so the sea was his best escape. Any way he could get to it was welcomed. A porthole, a staircase to the deck, a cannon ball blowing a hole in the wall, the ship sinking... He was taking all of the above. He made sure to note that to any deities listening. 

He didn't like leaving Luffy with the chef like that. He suggested they split up in order to get rid of the bastard, he didn't trust him. Ace hadn't written in a while. Sabo was sure he'd mention joining _Whitebeard's_ crew if he did. And all that stuff about them being a family... He didn't even know about him and Luffy! How could he claim to be Ace's brother; by extension theirs? It wasn't that Sabo wasn't open to newcomers, it was that Ace would've written about it. Ace would've _told_ them if they had another brother. That, and the man knew their kidnapper. It all rang as fishy to him. But... Luffy was a pretty good judge of character, and Sabo couldn't stop him if he tried. Besides, the ocean wouldn't be a reliable escape if Luffy was with him. 

Dammit, was nothing labeled in this place? He wondered if that feeling he had was a fluke, because they didn't seem to be moving.

He hit a dead end. Before he could turn around, the marines caught up with him. "Hands up! Come quietly and we won't be forced to shoot!"

Sabo groaned and put his hands up. One marine slammed his head into the wall. So they weren't content to just take him back to his cell then. This was not going to be pleasant for him... Hopefully, Luffy and that chef were having better luck.

* * *

Ace heard the rioting start just as Blackbeard strolled through the door. The man zeroed in on him. "Ace, I'm glad you could make it! You did a good job with the... business I put you up to. Didn't even get caught!"

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"Ace, do you know how much the marines offered to your father's head back in the day?"

"...No." Why bring up Roger? "What does this have to with our deal? Where are my brothers?"

Blackbeard ignored him. "Five billion five hundred and sixty-four million eight hundred thousand beli. The highest bounty of any pirate on earth. How high was yours again?"

"Five hundred and fifty million beli," Ace murmured, feeling almost ashamed of it. He knew his bounty was impressive enough, and he had no desire to be like Roger. He set sail to make his _own_ name, to be free of that legacy. Five hundred and fifty million was worth ten times Roger's bounty because it was _his._ He made his own name by forming his own crew and wreaking havoc and having adventures by himself. That little girl in Wano didn't care about Roger, those marines he stranded on an island didn't care about Roger; his crew didn't care about Roger. He was his own man, and that was worth twenty of Roger's bounty. 

"You're wrong."

"What?"

Blackbeard turns and looks at him. His gaze makes Ace freeze. "On paper your bounty is five hundred and fifty million... but for those who know your heritage, Ace? It's _so_ much higher." He grinned. "A staggering three billion beli for the capture of the son of the Pirate King. Don't you feel special, Gol D. Ace?"

Ace jumped back as Blackbeard sent a wave of... something at him. It was inky black and misty. Like a living shadow. He staggered and ran out of the bar. He needed to escape and find his brothers, _now_. 

He countered another wave of shadow with his flames. In the distance he could see the Whitebeards fighting off hoards of marines. It was a setup, it was _such an obvious setup!_ How did he not realize it? Blackbeard was trying to get Ace and the Whitebeards in one! The son of Gol D Roger _and_ a Yonko? Ace wondered where they found the money to pay him.

"Terribly sorry Ace, but that kind of money can buy me a fleet and crew in a day! I've got a lot of catching up to do if I'm to be Pirate King!"

Ace snorted. "There's only one person on earth with the guts to be Pirate King, and he isn't a rotten bastard like you." Luffy was the only person with enough tenacity. The only person with the sheer _audacity_ to win that race. It worried an older brother, but what was he gonna do? _Stop Luffy?_ Killing God was easier! 

"Oh, and who is that?"

"You'll figure it out eventually."

Blackbeard's shadows were cannons and his fists were fucking _clubs_. Ace didn't know where he got that kind of power. No offense to anyone of a similar size, but the guy wasn't really in the best shape. "Kind of a lazy asshole" was Ace's very first impression of the man. _How was he hitting this hard?_ No answer came, but Ace did get thrown through a wall. Blackbeard chucked as he stepped through.

"Darkness versus the sun.... looks like I win." He cocked a rifle at Ace's head. "You're going to come nice and quietly, you understand me? The marines don't like noisy merchandise. This pistol is packed with seastone bullets. Even we logias can get damaged by it."

Ace hung his head. He'd failed. He'd completely and utterly failed. Failed to escape, failed to make his own name, and failed to save his brothers. Was there any point in resisting? Could he bait Blackbeard into ending him here? Probably not. The man was money-minded. He wanted that paycheck from the marines.

Something launched into Blackbeard's face. The man was thrown to the side and Ace was running before he could gather what happened. He heard distant shouts of "Traitor!", so it was probably a Whitebeard Pirate. He'd have to find a way to thank them, unfortunately, but now he had to find his brothers. He noticed a marine ship that didn't seen to be joining in on the fighting. Marines were stationed around it, but they didn't look like anything other than average grunts. Ace guessed he might as well start his search there.


	5. Things Go Even More Poorly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: police brutality, army, intent of harm towards children, deadnaming (not in a transphobic way), low self worth, being arrested

Thatch was doing pretty damn well until the captain blocked his path. "You're not going anywhere, pirate!"

"I very clearly am?" This guy was nothing in strength. Thatch bet the kid could take him on. 

"Well, I suppose you could, just hand me that kid," the captain pointed at Luffy. Luffy stuck out his tongue.

"No," Thatch replied easily. How lowly did this man think of him? Thatch would never sell the marines a child to guarantee his own safety... not that he was in a whole lot of danger. "What do you even want with him? Isn't he just bait?"

"He's openly admitted to fratnerizing with the son of the Pirate King for years! While having full knowledge of his identity! He did it about ten times before we transferred him to this ship! He aided in the harboring of a criminal and must be punished! Same for the blond one. Of course we already caught him."

"Give Sabo back!" Luffy shouted. Thatch frowned. They caught Sabo? When? Once he found his crew they'd need to go back for him. Also...

"The son of the Pirate King? Who?"

"You didn't know? Portgas D Ace is the son of the devil!" the captain shrieked. "He cannot be allowed to live! Nor can anyone who willingly aided him while knowing! Now hand me the brat or be taken with him!"

"Ace is great! You're just a huge jerk! And Ace doesn't even like his dad!" Luffy shouted. "Ace deserves to live!"

Ace was Roger's son? Wait... was _that_ what this was about? Seriously? Capturing the seventeen-year-old son of a dead criminal? "You're pathetic," Thatch laughed. "All this for the son of a dead man?" The captain charged, but Thatch dodged and kicked him in the face. He wasn't a commander for nothing. "Come on Luffy, let's see if we can't find someone to help your brothers."

Luffy laughed. "You're really strong! Wanna join my crew?"

"No."

"Come on!"

* * *

Ace laughed as he kicked over another marine. He hadn't had this much fun in... God knew how long! He breezed his way through the shocked soldiers. If things kept going like this, he'd find his brothers in no time.

The captain shook himself off. "Surrender, Gol D. Ace!"

Ace scowled. "Gol D. Ace? Never heard of him. You're talking to Portgas D. Ace if you'd like to address me properly. It's only polite."

"Was your father not Gol D. Roger?" 

"I want no association with _that man_ but yes, he did father me. That doesn't mean I'll take on his name."

"You have no choice but to. Now come with us or there will be trouble!" Ace burst out laughing.

"What 'trouble'? You clearly can't kick my ass," he jeered. The captain didn't falter. He gave an order and two guards came out from a room in the ship, holding something -someone-between them.... _Sabo_?  
Ace stepped forward, teaching out his arm, calling his name, but was ultimately helpless as Sabo was forced to his knees and had a gun readied at the back of his head.

"A-Ace...." Sabo whispered, and Ace realized just how _beaten_ his little brother looked. His clothes were torn, showing a variety of fresh bruises and scars. His hair was matted with blood that dripped down his face.

"What did you _d_ _o_ to him?" Ace screamed. The captain ignored him.

"It's good to know we found the right person. The other one got away, couldn't tell you where to," he said boredly. "Now Gol, I want you to choose, your freedom," -the captain pressed the gun deeper into Sabo's skull- "or your brother's life."

Was that even a choice? He raised his hands in surrender and let the Marines cuff him. "Ace, don't!" Sabo cried. "I'm fi--" he was cut off by a kick to the jaw. Ace lunged for the captain, but was held back. The bastard didn't pay it any mind. 

"Lock them up," he ordered, "I'll see if I can't track down our runaway."

"You leave Luffy alone!" Sabo barked. Ace could only clench his teeth as the man kicked him again.

* * *

Thatch ran towards his family at speeds faster than he thought possible. He needed to _warm_ them, he needed to _t_ _ell_ them! Their littlest brother was in danger! Luffy was curled up on his back, hitting anyone that came too close. _Me and this kid make a good team!_ Thatch noted fondly. The kid deserved his brothers alive and well, so Thatch would damn well make sure of it.

"Marco!" he called, nearly crying in relief at the sight of his brother. Marco descended towards him.

"Thatch?" Marco exclaimed. He gave a bright smile and pulled Thatch into a hug. "Thatch, you're okay!" 

"Nothing gets me down!" Thatch joked, "But listen, we have a problem."

"I can see that," Marco scoffed, taking out an unfortunately brave Marine. "Things are better now that you're here though, we can fall back to the ship."

"Look! The bad guy's ship is going away!" Luffy exclaimed, pointing at the retreating form of Captain Heed's cruiser. Thatch cursed. That meant they got Ace.

"Do we have time for a chase after that?"

"I... suppose?" Marco sighed, "What happened? Who got captured? And who's the brat?"

"This is Luffy, Ace's brother," Thatch introduced. "This whole thing has been a plot to lure Ace away from us to kidnap him. Teach was always planning on betraying us, but he needed money for his new ship and crew so he struck a deal with the Marines to lure Ace away from us and kidnap him. If they could kill some Whitebeards too... that was a bonus." 

"All this to nab a seventeen-year-old boy?" Marco asked incredulously, " _Why_? I mean, I know he was a damn good rookie before we, erm, _picked him up_ , but that hardly warrants these lengths."

"Ace is the biological son of Gol D. Roger. He's been wanted from birth," Thatch explained. "They would've done twice as much before he ever set sail if it meant being able to put away the son of the late pirate king. They couldn't get him because he was under Whitebeard's protection -willingly or not- so they came up with a plan to separate him from us," -he eyed the retreating Marine vessel- "and it _worked_."

"All that for the son of the pirate king..." Marco cursed, "As if it _matters_ \--"

"Ooooooo.... I wanna pirate king!" Luffy interrupted happily. "But first we gotta save Ace and Sabo!"

"Sabo?" 

"Ace's other little brother. He didn't... he didn't escape with us."

"Now we gotta go back for him!"

Marco nodded. "I'll clear a path for you to find Oyaji and tell him what all's happening. We can rendezvous at the _Moby_ and hunt them down."

"Thanks, Marco."


	6. And Then They Get EVEN WORSE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: police brutality, corruption, referenced capital punishment, restrained, abusive family, bad parenting, low self esteem, gun violence

Ace couldn't bring himself to move as he was chained up below deck, only able to watch Sabo receive the same treatment. The middle brother pulled away from the marines, muttering curses under his breath all the while. The marines laughed, one squeezing his cheek as they fucked off to do something else. And why shouldn't they? It wasn't like Ace or Sabo were going anywhere. They weren't because Ace was the worst big brother in the world. _At least Luffy's safe, but it sure fucking says something that I don't know where he is..._

Ace sighed and shifted his focus to his present younger brother. "How's your head?"

"It's alright," Sabo breathed, giving a weak, bitter smile. "I don't think they damaged anything. It's fucking pissing blood for some reason-- but other than that..."

"I'm sorry," Ace sighed. "I'm a terrible big brother. I couldn't even get both my brothers away from these bastards. I played right into Teach's hands."

"Any of us would've done the same. You just happened to be the target," Sabo reassured him. 

"My target always paints a target on you guys' backs too," he whispered guiltily, because didn't it? As kids, it was Bluejam's anger at him that caused his brothers so much pain. It was his hunger for food that wasn't there that made him lead the other two into the woods on hunting missions that ended with bear claws embedded in their chests and crocodile teeth in their legs. It was his desire to live away from the bandits that lead to terrifying, cold nights in their treehouse that nearly killed all of them on more than one occasion. It was always his mistake. It was always their pain. _It would've been so much better if I was never born..._

"You know," Sabo said, "you were -and are- definitely the responsible one."

If Ace had a drink he would've spit it out. " _What_?"

"It's true! Without you we'd have both run screaming into the woods and died. Or gotten arrested," Sabo mused.

"How?"

"Well you _know_ how Luffy would manage it," Sabo chuckled, "But you're probably thinking, 'Oh, well Sabo would stop him!' First of all, Luffy and I would've never met if it wasn't for you; secondly, you severely overestimate my situation judging abilities. Do you know how Blackbeard found me?"

"No?"

"I burned down ten cruise ships belonging to Celestial Dragons in West Blue," Sabo bragged, like that wasn't the fucking _stupidest_ \--

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Ace shrieked. "Do you even _realize_ what the Celestial Dragons do to people who pissed then off like that? I get that you have a _thing_ against the World Government or whatever, but we _all_ do and there was no point!"

"They leach off of the poor and common person. Isn't that reason enough?" 

"No! No it isn't!" 

"Maybe not to you, but you see where I'm going with the overall point, don't you?"

"Where exactly would you be--" _Oh..._

"Exactly," Sabo huffed, "so don't thinking that things would be better without you. You're the best big brother I could ever ask for, Ace. No matter what happens, remember that."

The ship began to move. Ace saw Sabo's eyes flicker with fear for a moment and clutched his hand tightly. No matter what kind of brother he was, he knew damn well he couldn't save them from this. Whatever it was. A time passed, Ace wasn't sure how long, but it was long enough for Sabo to succumb to sleep. He hoped that wasn't bad. A marine walked by their cell. Ace waved to get his attention.

"Hey, you at least wanna tell us where we're going?" 

"I'll take it up with the captain," the man said dryly. 

"No need," said the captain, appearing in the hallway and startling all three of them. "I'm right here, now what could the prisoners possibly want?"

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Well, we're taking _you_ to Impel Down," the captain said. "There we can make all the proper arrangements for your execution." He said it like it was supposed to be a new, terrifying, cold reality for Ace, but Ace had already figured as much. He'd been told it a thousand times: _the son of Gol D. Roger could not be suffered to live_. He glanced at Sabo. "What about him? What are your plans for him?" _P_ _lease, please don't drag him down with me._

The captain thought for a moment. "Well, after that stunt he pulled in West Blue, he can't be allowed to roam free, now, can we?" he sing-songed, pulling open the cell door and crouching down in front of Sabo. "That being said, we'll probably let him rot in Impel Down... But that'd be a shame, wouldn't it? I know more than a few buyers who love a nice young man, and he's easy on the eyes." He reached out and twirled a strand of Sabo's hair, Ace kicked him away.

"You leave him the hell alone!"

The captain glowered at him. "The next time you lay your hands on me will be the last time he has fingers." With that, the man left. Ace sent an uneasy glance at Sabo, who was still sleeping peacefully. What the hell was it with the Marines and selling people these days? First they wanted to sell Thatch, now Sabo? So much for being the protectors of the people.

* * *

Luffy had decided he liked these people. A lot. 

Loaf Hair was the one Luffy liked the most -he made _really good meat_ \- but the new ones were super cool too. Like Pineapple Head! He turned into a bird, and he was made of fire like Ace! Then there was Dress Guy, who had a really cool fan. Luffy didn't even know guys /wore/ dresses before Dress Guy! Luffy had tried one on, but he decided he didn't like them. Dress Guy said that was okay. The strongest one was Giant Ossan. He was really big and he told everyone else what to do. He wouldn't fight Luffy though, so Luffy refused to talk to him no matter cool he was! The worst part was that just made him laugh! What a jerk! ...But he was helping save Ace and Sabo, so maybe he wasn't a complete jerk. 

* * *

Sabo awoke to the cold, terrible feeling that something was _wrong_. His first instinct was to look over at Ace, who was still sitting in the same position he was yesterday, eyes wide open.

"Did you get any sleep?" Sabo yawned, twisting around to stretch his sore muscles.

"Never know when they're gonna try something funny," Ace said. "We can't both go to sleep."

"How about you go to sleep and I take watch then?"

"No!"

"So that's not what it's about," Sabo concluded. "Did something happen while I was asleep?"

Ace looked away. "Just let me worry about that."

"Ace--"

" _Sabo_ ," Ace warned, and Sabo drew back. There was something in Ace's voice that left no room for argument. The ship drew to a halt. Ace stood up. "We're dropping anchor."

"We can't be at Impel Down already?" 

"I don't think that's it... Shit, I thought I had more time!" he cursed.

"More time for _what_?"

There were footsteps coming from the hallway. Sabo stood beside Ace, his nerves going crazy. Was it a prisoner transfer? What was so bad about that? 

The footsteps revealed the captain, heralded by a face Sabo hadn't seen in a long time. "Outlook III," he greeted, his voice betraying only a little of his panic. After all these years, his "father" had found him again? 

"Sabo the Terrorist," Outlook spat. "You bring me disgrace you cannot imagine." 

"Oh, did someone speak poorly of you at a dinner party? I'm terribly sorry," Sabo mocked. Ace was looking between them anxiously.

"They call me the harbinger of a monster. They blame me for your sins!" Outlook cried. Sabo stumbled backwards at the sudden volume.

_("Father! Father! Look what I made!"_

_"Get the hell out of my office before I punt you out myself! Worthless punk!")_

Ace moved to help him, but to marines grabbed him and pulled him back. "Why can't you just leave Sabo alone? You've been chasing him for years!"

"Because my reputation will never recover until he's dead, and I must be the one to kill him." Things went... both slowly and quickly at this point. Outlook pulled a gun out from inside his jacket and shoved it into Sabo's mouth. He could taste the iron of the barrel and the gunpowder inside. He choked on the fumes and desperately tried to breathe around the object. He felt his eyes water. Was this how he died? In this small cell, at the hands of a man he never thought he'd see again? He could hear Ace calling his name, but his brother seemed so distant... like he was miles away. 

Then, it ended. Outlook pulled the gun out and tucked it back into his cloak. "I can't kill you here, however, I'm picturing something more... public." He glanced at Ace and smirked. "Like brother like brother I suppose. Take him!"

Another group marines moved and started to drag Sabo out of the cell. "Ace... _Ace_!" He felt his panic grow.

"Wait! Don't-- Dammit, don't you dare!" Ace was screaming. He banged on the bars, but no one heeded him. They turned a corner and he lost sight of his brother completely. For the first time in a very long time, Sabo was terrified.


	7. Ok we good bro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: child abuse, low self esteem, prison, battle, police corruption

Something was suspicious. The Marine ship had dropped anchor next to some fancy ship. Not a Celestial Dragon's vessel, but definitely an aristocrat of some kind. It was a thick, foggy place that they'd sailed to. The Marines were likely trying to loose followers, instead they provided the perfect cover for their pursuers. _Ironic_. Izo's eyes narrowed as he spotted the captain meeting with some well-dressed man. Probably the aristocrat the ship belonged to. They went below deck and took a good chunk of soldiers with them. Now seemed a good time to strike.

He nodded at Jozu, who steered the ship closer to the two anchored vessels. He still couldn't see the captain or aristocrat. Now was their time to strike.

They fired.

* * *

Luffy jumped onto the Marine boat as soon as he was sure he wouldn't fall in the ocean. He had brothers to save! He eagerly knocked away the marines that tried to stop him. They were way too slow! He ran down into the lower levels of the ship, trying to remember which way the brig was. Left? No. Down? Yes! Left? No. Right? Left? Up? Down?

He got there eventually. The familiar entrance of the brig hallway lighting up his memory. "AAAACCEEE! SAAAABBOOOO! Where are you guys?" 

"Lu?"

Luffy did a 180 turn on his heel. Ace was in the cell a little ways up. He'd passed it on accident... whoops! "AAACCCEEE!" Luffy cried, slamming himself into the cell door. "Ace, you're okay! I knew you would be! Where's Sabo?"

"Lu, how are you here?" Ace sounded all worried. Luffy laughed.

"Giant Ossan and Loaf-Head are helping me save you!" Ace frowned.

"Do you... do you mean Whitebeard and Thatch?" he asked incredulously. 

Luffy nodded. "Yeah! Them! But where's Sabo?"

"Sabo's dad... he took him away," Ace choked. "I-I couldn't do anything. I'm sorry Lu."

Luffy crossed his arms and kicked Ace through the bars. "Don't be sad! We'll find Sabo and kick his dad's butt!"

Ace perked up a little. "Yeah... let's go save our brother!" 

"LET'S GO!"

"HEY, WAIT! LUFFY! YOU GOTTA LET ME OUT FIRST!"

"Shishishishi! Oops, sorry Ace!" Luffy said, pretending not to hear Ace's loud, drawn-out sigh.

* * *

Sabo stumbled as Outlook dragged him through the ship, cursing all the while. Someone took the deal Outlook had with the captain as an opportunity to attack the Marine ship. Not a bad plan, and definitely funny when he saw the look on the Outlook's face. Trying to dodge pirates and get your prisoner on your ship without anyone noticing was probably very hard. Sabo would've called out to the pirates to make it harder if Outlook hadn't gagged him. Bastard. 

"Those ruffians are likely raiding my room as we speak," the bastard was saying to one of the marines. "I want an escort to safety!"

"Yes sir," the marine said. "We'll make sure you can escape."

"Excellent! Finally, some competence. I don't know how the Marines let themselves be attacked in the first place!" Outlook huffed, yanking on Sabo's arm to make him walk faster. Everytime the bastard did that he was brought back to _those_ days.

( _"You disgrace!" his father screamed, chucking a glass at his head. "You were fratnerizing with the Sesame family? They're below you, you fool! Why aren't you aiming above? Making connections there?"_

_"They're my friends, it's not about connections!" Sabo screamed back, undeterred by the glass in his scalp._

_His father kicked him. "They're using you, you idiot! The Outlook family name is a source of reverence! They don't care about you at all! No one does!"_

_No one does..._

_That explained a lot.)_

Sabo was glad that, whether he died at this man's hands or not, those days would never repeat themselves. He would never be in that golden cage again. He would never have to live for his family's appearance ever again. He had a real family now, and even death couldn't take that away. ...No matter how much he didn't want to die. He would rather return to his family. He didn't want to die. He really, sincerely hoped these marines weren't as competent as the man claimed they were. 

He was dragged down all kind of weird routes, mostly going down, before they found themselves in the deep of the ship. The marines opened a porthole, Sabo could see a lifeboat bobbing just outside of it.

"We've opened the porthole on the other side. The pirates really only skimmed your ship, so all you have to do his sneak it and raise anchor. They're gone," the marine explained. Outlook handed him a hefty sum of money before dragging Sabo towards the port hole. 

"Any funny business and I get you in the shoulder," Outlook warned, waving the gun at him. "You need to be alive and conscious when we kill you, not unharmed." With that, he threw Sabo into the lifeboat. One marine followed, but the others didn't. Outlook kept the gun trained on Sabo as the marine made the short row towards the royal ship.

 _"The pirates only skimmed it."_ _What were they looking for?_ was the only non-panicked thought that went through Sabo's mind as he was shoved through the other porthole. Usually pirates in this scenario would take every trinket they could find, but the storeroom they landed in remained almost untouched. _It's something specific then._

A tremor made the waves rise. Sabo recognized it instantly. _Whitebeard is here... why?_

He didn't have anymore time to think on that because he was being dragged again. This time by the hair, which, _ow!_ and not up or down a single flight of stairs. Instead, he was pulled around several corners before being thrown into a small cell. It was incredibly dark here. There were no candles or lights in this part of the ship. The only light came from down the hall, naturally through one of the portholes. 

Sabo felt the ship move, and the terror he'd felt being dragged away the first time increased tenfold. Something childish bloomed in his gut. Some primal, babyish want to be protected.

 _Ace... please save me,_ it whispered, and Sabo detested it. He wasn't a child, and he didn't need his big brother to save him. He could go to his death with some fucking dignity.

~~_He was sixteen, and he couldn't._ ~~

* * *

It said something about Ace's luck that the minute he stepped on deck Outlook III's ship started to sail away. They'd asked several pirates on their way up if they'd seen Sabo, but no one had. Now it made sense. His rotten dad escaped with him.

"MARCO!" Ace screamed, because he hated these kidnapping bastards but he knew when he couldn't afford to be prideful.

"What?" Marco answered, landing next to him. "Good to see you're okay, little brother."

Ace ignored the address. "I need to get on that ship. That's where Sabo is." He pointed at the retreating vessel.

"Shit, alright, I can probably fly you there. But only because you're made of fire," Marco said quickly, grabbing Ace and pulling him upwards.

"Right," Ace contested. He felt an extra weight on his feet. Ah, Luffy.

"I'm coming too!" 

"Of course you are."

Marco flew them over the ocean and dropped them on the ship. Then, he landed himself. "They've got things covered over there. These marines are nothing."

Ace nodded. Help was help, he guessed.


	8. To be Rescued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: referenced police brutality, implied child abuse, referenced murder, actual murder, implied drowning, mentioned kidnapping, bad father-son relationship

There was a lot of yelling, still.

Sabo frowned. He would be thought they were far away enough from the battle that the yelling would've stopped. Yet, it seemed to be getting louder. He couldn't sleep. Not with all this noise. He had half a mind to tell them to shut up. Not that he was sure they would hear him... He scratched at his scars. He wondered if he would be allowed to speak during his execution. Maybe he could give a few choice words to the aristocrats of the world. To the Celestial Dragons. That would be fun. Looking those bubble-headed bastards in the eye and telling them exactly what he thought of them. He doubted there wouldn't be any in attendance, given that he destroyed their ships. They liked retribution when it wasn't for _their_ crimes.

Someone was running around the lower levels. Sabo tensed, remembering very well his treatment at the hands of his previous captors. They'd given him these injuries in the span of an hour, how much would he be hurt by the end of this voyage? Would he even have the ability to speak? 

Likely not.

He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back on the wall behind him. There was nothing to be done about it, was there? There was nothing he could do. Absolutely nothing.

"Sabo! Sabo!" there was shouting. The sound of frantic, thunderous footsteps. "Sabo!"

Sabo paused. He recognized that voice... 

"SAAAABBOOOO! Where are you?" Another voice... He recognized it too!

"Ace? Luffy!" he called, waving one hand out of his cell. He couldn't fucking believe it. How'd Ace escape? How was Luffy here? How did either of them get on his father's ship?

"Sabo!" they screamed, screeching to a halt in front of his cell. In an instant, the door was gone. Melted into puddles by Ace's flame. Sabo hopped over the molten steel into his brothers' arms. 

"Ace! Luffy! How did you get here? What happened?" he asked, looking between the two. 

"Giant Ossan and his crew helped me rescue you guys!" Luffy said proudly. "They're really strong!"

Sabo blinked. "Giant...?" 

"He means Whitebeard," Ace supplied. Sabo damn near cackled.

"Well, that was... certainly nice of him," he breathed once the laughter wore off. "Why did he help you?"

"Giant Ossan says Ace is his son, which is weird, but he seems really serious about it. He wanted to help, but he's kinda mean because he wouldn't fight me," his little brother pouted. Sabo was about to have an aneurysm. 

"Bastard kidnaps me but then he does this... I don't know how to feel about him," Ace muttered. Sabo was going to have to hear _that_ story at some point. It wasn't every day Whitebeard claimed a new son, and it wasn't every day that "son" rejected the label. It also wasn't every day that "son" was his older brother. Also, Ace’s use of the word "kidnapped" was very interesting to Sabo.

"Let's just get out of here," Sabo chuckled. They could figure it all out later.

Ace, being the bastard he was, grabbed Sabo and started to carry him under his arm, throwing Luffy over his other shoulder. Sabo would've been more mad about it if he didn't feel like he was about to fall over. Looked like his beating at the hands of the marines did more damage than he thought. 

Ace glided up the stairs and onto the deck. The ship had been completely taken over by... was that _Marco the Phoenix_?

Yeah, so the ship was taken over by Marco the fucking Phoenix and his "father" was, ironically, in chains. Ace set him and Luffy down by the mast. That was about when the Phoenix spotted them.

"You found him, yoi," the Phoenix said. 

"Yeah, I did," Ace replied, short and to the point. This was incredibly awkward to watch. "...Thank you," his brother added after some hesitation.

* * *

This was so awkward. So, so awkward. Marco was an enemy, only he wasn't, because he helped to save Sabo, and Ace was so confused. 

"Don't worry about it, yoi," the Phoenix brushed him off. He waved Ace over, away from his brothers, and that made Ace nervous. But... He guessed he owed to the bastard. "Can't let bastards like this get away with this shit. It's not right, yoi." 

"No, it isn't..." Ace agreed. "He's been getting away with stuff like this for way too long."

"What kind of stuff, yoi?"

"He burned an entire terminal because some Celestial Dragon was visiting. He killed a lot of the people who escaped," Ace admitted, and he wasn't sure why he was talking about the Gray Terminal. He hadn't thought about what happened to the place in years. Most of his memories of that day zeroed in on his brother's limp body or Bluejam's corpse. The actual terminal, and all the death inside it, became more of a backdrop for those moments. The ones that made Ace feel like he couldn't breathe.

"Shit..." Marco whispered, looking back at the noble. The man was currently glaring daggers at Sabo. Ace smiled when he saw Sabo flip the bastard off.

"Yeah, he's a piece of work if there ever was one," Ace laughed nervously. “Listen, I’ve got something I need to talk to your Pops about. Now— now that all’s said and done.”

Marco nodded eagerly. “Of course, yoi!” 

In no time, Ace found himself willingly stepping onto the _Moby Dick_. It was strange, he’d spent so long trapped there, trying to escape from it. Stepping aboard on his own terms was bizarre and a little daunting. Who knew if he’d ever get off again? What if they refused to let him leave? He was snapped out of his thoughts by a small, rubber bullet barreling into him.

“ACE! We won! Sabo says his dad’s gonna go in the sea and not come back! He can’t bother us anymore!” Luffy cheered.

So that was what Sabo decided to do with the man. Good. They should’ve killed him earlier. “That’s good news,” he told Luffy, but Luffy was already climbing off of him to do something else. 

Bracing himself, Ace went below deck and into the Captain’s quarters. He knew it’s location well; he avoided it like the plague. Whitebeard was busy with some kind of paperwork. Ace never knew being a pirate needed so much paperwork. He was still pretty sure it didn’t. The giant of a man looked up and smiled. “Ace, come in! What do you need?”

It was strange, that he could sound so kind towards someone who had made multiple attempts on his life. “You saved my brothers.”

”Well, Thatch had more of a hand in that, but yes,” Whitebeard said.

”You saved me.”

”Yes?”

”...Why? —And don’t say it’s because I’m your son! I haven’t taken your mark,” Ace said.

Whitebeard hummed. “Well, it’s hard to ignore three children in need. You’re seventeen, Ace, you can’t deny you’re a child. Me and my children have taken care of many who don’t bear our mark. It doesn’t deter us, Ace.”

Ace couldn’t look at him. He didn’t know why. His eyes searched the ground for something more interesting. “I need to repay you. Since you seem to want me to so badly, I’m— I’m willing to sail with you. I’m not saying I’ll join you, but I’ll consider it. I just need to pay you back.”

”You don’t,” Whitebeard said, “But if that’s what you believe, Ace, we’re happy to have you.” 

“...Thank you.”

  
He didn’t know it, but outside, his brothers and several division commanders were listening.

* * *

Thatch was over the moon. He was home, everyone was safe, and those kids would be staying with them for a while until they could get them home. Ace was staying past that even! Willingly! Things were better than he could’ve imagined! He would have to whip up a special meal for the occasion. Maybe some pork, vegetables obviously, he was definitely breaking out the good ale, did they still have goose? Maybe some stuffed chicken would go well too...

There was a knock on the door.

”Coming!” he called. He opened it, and was faced with a heavily blushing, very awkward looking Ace.

”Ace! How can I help you? You hungry?” 

“No! Well, yes, but that’s not—“

”What do you want? Fruit? Bacon? I know there’s gotta be some leftover bacon...” Thatch muttered, opening the icebox.

”No! That’s not why I’m here. I wanted to say... I wanted to say thanks,” Ace whispered.

Thatch paused and looked at him. The teen had his hat tipped so it cast a deep shadow over his face. He was sitting on the table, his leg bouncing like a jackrabbit. “For what?” Thatch asked.

”For taking care of my brothers,” Ace said. 

“Hey! It’s not a big deal—“

”IT IS TO ME!” Ace shouted. “They’re my brothers, I can’t live without them! You’ve got this family thing going on, you’ve gotta understand that, right?”

Thatch did understand. He knew, especially as a division commander, what it was to feel responsible for people. Responsible for your siblings. He nodded.

”So stop it with the chill attitude and just accept the thank you,” Ace muttered. “It’s _rude_.”

Thatch didn’t know how on earth that was rude, but he took Ace’s word for it. “You’re welcome. Now come and have some bacon.”

* * *

Sabo was sure of his decision. He would kill his father. Let him drown. Let him never hurt anyone again. He hated his father. His father had hunted him, tormented him, tormented others, killed others, and committed so many terrible crimes. He deserved to die. There wasn’t anything redeemable about him.

And yet, Sabo felt terrible.

He didn’t know why. He should feel vindicated, especially after today’s events. Outlook III did not deserve to live. But some annoying, childish part of Sabo wanted to believe he did. That he could still turn around. Love his children, love his kingdom and the people in it. Stop being such a pathetic bootlicker. Sabo knew that could never be. Even if it could, it was far too late. The man had too many victims. This was his only redemption, and that was if he chose for it to be. He did not. He was screaming and cussing and cursing “those damn commoners” while he was forced onto the plank. Sabo felt queasy. Why? 

Luffy, who always somehow _knew_ when someone was feeling wrong, tugged on his coat. “It’s okay to feel sad,” he said. “He sucked, but he is your dad. He should’ve been a better dad.”

Sad. Was that how Sabo felt? He supposed it checked out. It was weird, wrong sounding, to feel sad for this wretch of a human being, but he supposed, yeah, he did feel sad. Sad for what could’ve been. For the relationship he would never have. He didn’t need it, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted it, but he should’ve had it. He shouldn’t be killing his dad. It never should’ve come to this. But he was and it did.

“Thanks, Luffy.”

Sabo walked forward, and looked Outlook III in the eyes. He didn’t know what he was looking for. Love? Regret? There was plenty of fear, but not of Sabo. At least, he didn’t think. 

Sabo pushed him over, and watched him disappear. He couldn’t even manage to cry.

* * *

Luffy sat on the deck of the Moby Dick, watching the birds. Birds were silly. One time, he ran into a bird so big it nearly ate his head! Sabo was downstairs reading, and Ace was training with Pineapple Head. He was getting really good at “Haki”. Luffy wanted to learn it too.

With that in mind, Luffy jumped on Ace’s back and then Ace tripped and fell into a barrel of blueberries. They were yummy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The END! How’d you like it?


End file.
